Looking to expand both engagement and rigor in your high school English classroom, consider using Raymond Carver’s “Popular Mechanics” along with three different types of literary criticism to encourage them to read deeply and explore different lines of thinking while applying it to the same text.
Why Teach Raymond Carver’s “Popular Mechanics”
“Popular Mechanics” by Raymond Carver is a quick, two-page story that is high in conflict and leaves students with lots of questions. Because it is so short, it lends itself to multiple readings, but the story is deep enough to spend several days.
There are only two (three?) characters: a husband, a wife and a baby. The husband and wife, referred to only by pronouns are in a marriage that is clearly breaking up. They are in a bitter fight and the baby is literally in the middle of the fight.
Three Schools of Literary Criticism to Teach “Popular Mechanics” by Carver
Use Reader Response with Popular Mechanics
This is a great story to let students just react.
Try encouraging students to respond to questions like: What did you like or dislike about the story? Does the story offer any insights on humanity or your world view? Describe problems this story creates for you.
Or, ask them to determine the importance of some aspect of the story. For example, what is the most important word or phrase? What is the most significant moment in the text? (For more questions, grab the Reader Response Lens Anchor Charts and Task Cards on TPT.)
Try using dialectic journals before having small group discussions or full class discussion. Another great option is a one word discussion. Check out this post on How to Teach Students to Write Reader Response
New Criticism or Formal Criticism
When you use New Criticism which is sometimes called Formal Criticism, you and your students focus entirely on the text. This is a great opportunity to have student focus on the characterization.
I love to have students examine the details of the scene along with the character motivations. It gives them an opportunity to examine whether the characters change or remain the same. They can focus in on how these elements illuminate the relationship between the two adults.
Additionally, students can examine the baby as a symbol. Or they can focus on the language usage, for instance the fact that the characters are only ever referred to by their pronouns.
For a ready to use set of activities that rely on New Criticism, grab “Popular Mechanics” by Raymond Carver in my TPT store.
Psychological Criticism with Raymond Carver’s “Popular Mechanics”
Psychological Criticism is the practice of looking into the mind of characters in a text. At the end of “Popular Mechanics,” something bad happens to the baby and the adults are responsible. Asking students to consider what is going on in the minds or the unconscious minds as the characters fight is fascinating.
This is a great time to do a full class discussion. (Read this post for more on in class discussions.)
Students can explore Freudian ideas like displacement, regression and rationalization. Have students consider the role of fear or guilt. Or students can focus entirely on the internal and external conflicts within the text.
Help students understand more about Psychological Criticism with these anchor charts and task cards.
Teaching Raymond Carver’s “Popular Mechanics” with Literary Criticism
The short story “Popular Mechanics” is a great story to introduce students different schools of literary criticism because it is quick enough to read multiple times over the course of a class period.
To develop a three or four day unit with this story, start by having the students read the story for meaning. Then have them explore the story through reader response.
The next day, have them reread to look at author’s craft. Explore the characterization and the use of pronouns.
Finally on the third day, revisit the story to look at the psychological implications. Have students choose one lens to write an extended paragraph or an essay.
Related Resources
For more on using reader response in high school English, check out this post on How to Teach Student to Write Reader Response.
To learn more about using Dialectic Journals or Double Entry Journal, be sure to check out 11 Brilliant Strategies for Dialectic Journals to Better Close Reading and Teaching Students How to Write Amazing Double Entry Journals. (PS. Dialectic Journals and Double Entry Journals are different names for the same thing.)
To help your students with New Criticism, check out Five Easy Steps for Close Reading in High School.
For more on why you should use Literary Theory Lenses in High School English, check out this post from Dr. Jenna Copper.
Looking for more super short stories to include in your instruction, be sure to check out 20 Very Short Stories for AP® Literature.
Shop This Post on TPT
A complete set of Reader Response, New Criticism and Psychological Criticism Lens Activities for “Popular Mechanics” by Raymond Carver. Use the story for one day or a whole week.
Introduce New Criticism, Reader Response or Psychological Criticism through Anchor Charts (with slides) and Task Cards. Or grab the whole Literary Criticism Bundle.
